Sarfo-Adu BN, Jayatilake D, Oyibo SO. A Case of Recurrent Gestational Hypokalemia Due to an Exaggerated Physiological Response to Pregnancy: The Importance of Using Pregnancy-Specific Reference Ranges.
Cureus 2023;
15:e51213. [PMID:
38161527 PMCID:
PMC10755627 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.51213]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypokalemia in pregnancy can occur secondary to hemodilution of pregnancy, physiological changes during pregnancy, or other pathological conditions. It should be investigated the same way as in non-pregnancy with particular emphasis on the importance of using pregnancy-specific reference ranges when interpreting clinical laboratory test results. Here, we present a case of a woman who had late-trimester gestational hypokalemia requiring potassium supplementation affecting four consecutive pregnancies. We thought that there was accompanying hypomagnesemia and hypobicarbonatemia in previous pregnancies, so we suspected a form of renal tubular dysfunction exacerbated by pregnancy. Subsequent investigation and the use of pregnancy-specific reference ranges revealed that this was an exaggerated physiological response to pregnancy.
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